This application relates to household kitchen tools. In particular, this application relates to hand-held tongs of the type used to handle and serve food. The application relates most specifically to hand-held tongs having a locking mechanism.
Tongs of the common form include a pair of pivoting arms, usually made of a metal or a hard plastic, either with or without similarly or differently contoured ends for grasping food and the like. The contoured ends are typically flared to allow for manipulation of relatively broad foods, such as, for example, burgers, bratwurst, bread rolls, fish fillets, pastries and the like. Alternatively, the tongs may be smaller in size with a serrated edge for grasping of relatively small or narrow goods, such as, for example, ice cubes, olives, carrot sticks, garnishes and such. However, it is sometimes inconvenient to have two different tongs to handle these tasks, when one pair could easily be equipped to operate properly for both. Those skilled in the art have failed to recognize the advantages of such a design possibility.
Additionally, some prior art tongs have been designed with a locking mechanism to allow the tongs to be stored in a closed position. This has been achieved in a variety of ways, including a locking collar as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,139 to Oretti, a locking plate as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,756 to Bartlett et al., and a locking pull ring as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,338 to Kerr. However, such locking devices are sometimes cumbersome, easily jammed, or too easily accidentally unlocked when washed and/or stored.
The present invention is unique in that it addresses each of these, as well as other problems found in the prior art. By providing a pair of kitchen tongs, and generally a kitchen utensil, which is suitably configured to handle both large and small food items and has an encapsulated locking mechanism which provides a greater ease of use and protection of the locking mechanism. The present invention solves these and other problems in prior art devices.